Church...for the rest of us

"Reunion is a church. Not an event, not a place, but a community of people. We exist to help people find their way back to God through Jesus Christ. We are a people of faith, community, and generosity that seek to communicate God's story in the urban landscape of Boston. You'll find we're imperfect people striving to become more like Christ - not just on Sundays - but the way we live every day."

Now this is a complete 180 from the church I grew up in. It's not perfect - but that's why I like it.
At this church we worship Jesus. We fall, we stumble, we say the wrong things, we do the wrong things...we don't do 'enough'. But its ok. Jesus has got it covered. We also have fun (yea I know...complete pagans...I am over it though.)

It is not full of criticism and contempt. You don't have to be a member to have a voice (actually there is no membership). You don't have to dress up....I think you would be perfectly welcomed if you came in in pajamas. One of my favorite parts is that it is not even in a church building...we worship at a hotel, and its not necessarily the same hotel every week.

Within a month of attending this church, I found myself pouring that icky gross part of my life out on one of the staff members (what was funny was that I didn't know he was a staff member at the time)....asking in desperation for prayer. Never in my life have I been that comfortable talking to a complete stranger, let alone about something so shameful. I still don't know very many people, but I am beginning to realize that most if not all, accept me for who I am.

The people I do know are in my 'community group'. Unlike the church I grew up in, this church understands that following Jesus is so much more than listening to a sermon on Sunday morning. Church happens in community groups. They are small groups that meet in the houses of other people in the Reunion community.

“Community groups are places where the kingdom of God works out in the messiness around us.” ~ Reunion

I started attending Steve and Amy's community group back in September which at the time was a brand new group. I had no idea that at the start of this group Nathan, Danielle, Caleb, Kait, Seth, Amy, and Steve would become people that I felt more than comfortable confessing some of my worst struggles to. I think at this point I have poured out more of my soul to them than they ever needed to see and they know many things about me that my own family does not know.

Wednesday nights have become times to laugh and to pray and to have conversations about God and to have fun. They became very quicky for me a breather from the daily intensity of my own life as I slowly began to see that I am not alone. Although they may not be able to relate specifically with my struggles, all have known some sort of pain or brokenness. Basically they are real people...which are actually kind of hard to find these days! Recently we have started sharing our "stories" with one another which is a really cool way to learn about another person and at the same time to learn more about God as you see how He has worked in the life of that person. It gives the people who are listening the opportunity to appreciate that person and how they were created in all of their wonderful uniqueness. (Ok so at this point only one person has gone so far but we got the opportunity to appreciate the wonderful uniqueness of Nathan and look forward to hearing Seth's story on Wednesday!)

However, the part I like about community group the most is how I am slowly beginning to realize that my life can actually have some purpose. I don't feel at all like it is just me pouring my grossness out on others like I had to do with the counselors. I feel like I have something to offer the others in the group as well, even if that is just a listening ear. We are a community and the relationships are give and take.

Going back to Peter Block's definition of belonging and community,..."We are in community each time we find a place where we belong…belong is to be related and to be a part of something. It is membership, the experience of being at home in the broad sense of the phrase. It is the opposite of thinking that wherever I am, I would be better off somewhere else. Or that I am still forever wandering, looking for that place where I belong…to belong is to know, even in the middle of the night, that I am among friends.” Well I can say for sure that I know where I can find this belonging on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings (...it is just the rest of the week that I am having a little trouble figuring out).

I turned down the opportunity to have a paid flight back to Buffalo this year for Easter because I wanted to do Easter at 'home' this year. I wanted to be with my community. We had a good friday celebration with community group that I did not want to miss and there was something special about having Easter morning at the Hilton instead of the First Baptist Church of Akron...it was far less stressful and far more meaningful :)

However, as I am slowly beginning to find that place where I belong, I am realizing that I am probably not alone in this. Community group is great on Wednesday nights but I am becoming more and more passionate about the concept of belonging and community....for everyone, not just me, and being able to live this out on a daily basis.

The main reason I have decided to stay in Boston another year is simply because of this church (that and of course God giving strong whispers that I need to stop and stay still for awhile). It is home....no matter what is happening in my day to day life. Reunion has begun to give me that spark of hope that at many times I have felt like I have completely lost. The community of people there are beginning to show me truth again and leading me back to Jesus...the true Jesus.